A Tale of Two Cities
Wiki by Valerie Habinak It was the best of times, it was the worse of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...
Help from Websites
1. Teaching With Movies
This website is about creating lesson plans based on films and movies. The website does cost a small fee in order to actually use the website but I think it would be something interesting to reference when teaching this book. Showing the movie may help students to better understand the book. With this website teachers may be able to better relate it to the lesson.
2.A Tale of Two Cities - Movie
YouTube provides the movie, A Tale of Two Cities, for anyone to access. In order to save money I think this website would come in handy when actually teaching the book. The movie is set up in different parts so it may make teaching easier when it comes to doing different chapters of the book.
3. A Tale of Two Cities Outline
At this website, A Tale of Two Cities is broken down into different parts making it easier for teachers to know what is important and what may not be so important.
4. Project Ideas
This website provides different project ideas from numerous teachers. On this specific page, this first year teacher provides students with different options of projects to do. I thought this website would be useful for teachers to reference when trying to come up with interesting project ideas for their own classrooms.
5. The French Revolution
Seeing as A Tale of Two Cities is set during the French Revolution, I think it would be important for teachers to provide a little insight to their students about that era. This website includes timelines, maps, images, texts, and even songs from this period. It would be beneficial to the students if they knew a little bit about the period and how it is different from our era today.
6. E-Notes
This website provides an abundant amount of information relevant for teaching A Tale of Two Cities. There is a navigational bar set at the side of the website which lays out different topics crucial to the novel. All teachers have to do is join and they gain access to numerous sources of information on any novel. Some of the links below will navigate you to parts of the website that discuss those specific points of the novel. Teachers may be able to get a better undertstanding themselves of the novel and even some possible ideas for discussion.
- Characters
- Themes
- Historical Context
7. Guide to Reading
I think it is important for students to know what exactly they are getting into before starting any novel. A Tale of Two Cities may not be the easiest text for students to read. Therefore, I feel it is important to possibly provide students with guides to reading. This website includes a full layout of the chapters, characters, themes, and time period. It also includes a guide for students to follow as they read the novel. In this guide, important parts are pointed out and brought to closer attention. I think it would be beneficial for students to have such a guide if reading on their own time and not in class.
8. Charles Dickens
This website provides information on the life of Charles Dickens. I thought this would be beneficial to educators because when teaching an author's novel, it is important to give some insight on the author himself. This website gives readers a little more insight to the life and works of Charles Dickens. At the end of the page, there are more links to click on that provide more information about Dickens and his many novels.
9. More into Dickens
Going deeper into what Dickens was all about, this website provides more topics for discussion on who exactly he was. I liked how the website is setup because it allows you to navigate to pages of specific interest. I think this website would be helpful to teachers and even students
10. Spark Notes
Though many teachers may find Spark Notes an unworthy companion for teaching, some of the ideas are actually worth noting. They have some pretty decent quiz ideas and descriptions of certain topics throughout the novel. Though we may like to think that our students are reading, many rely on Spark Notes to get the quick version of what is going on. We should encourage them to read and then to possibly turn to websites like Spark Notes for a better understanding.
11. Cliff Notes
Cliff Notes an excellent source for going further into the text. At this website, you can look up the different themes, characters, study guides, and homework. This could be beneficial to both teachers and students. It provides numerous websites that include study help for understanding the text.
12. Topic Tracking
This website has an amazing list of topics that can be found in A Tale of Two Cities. It outlines every chapter and points out the certain times when that topic is relevant. I thought this would be helpful for teachers as they go along with their lessons. This website may point out some things even the best educators didn't catch on to.
13. Review
This website allows readers to comment on what they thought of the book. I realize not all students have access to students, but many schools do have computer labs for classes to use. I thought this may be beneficial for students because they are able to see what others thought of the book. You do have to create a login ID and password in order to see what others say, but it could be very rewarding in the end.
14. Top Quotes
This website groups the quotes based on the different themes of the book. I thought this would be helpful for teachers if they wanted to create different quizzes or activities using some important quotes.
15. Class Activities
This website provides numerous ideas for different activities in the classroom. Teachers would be able to review what others have done and somehow make them their own. Their are countless links to other websites that have more ideas about teaching A Tale of Two Cities.
In Class Activities
1. Beach Ball Activity
On a large beach ball, write down certain questions or comments about the novel. Things such about characters, plot, themes, symbols, etc. On each individual part of the beach ball write the question or comment. Have the students throw the beach ball from person to person and whatever part of the beach ball their right hand lands on, they must comment or answer that question.
2. Basketball
Teachers or even students come up with questions based on the book and rank them by difficulty. Split the class into different teams and set up a sort of basketball hoop in the center of the classroom. A wastebasket would work really well. Buy or make some sort of ball students could shoot like a basketball into the "hoop." Have one student from team come up at a time and choose a question based on the difficulty. A question worth one point would be considerably easier than a question worth 3 points. On the carpet, tape markings should be placed with even distances apart from one another, increasing in distance in coordination with the difficulty of the questions. After correctly answering a question, the student goes to the appropriate line to shoot for a chance to obtain additional points for their team. The team with the most points accumulated at the end of the game wins the game.
3. Building Character
Students are to pair up and choose one character from the book they feel they can best describe. After providing them with long sheets of paper, students will trace one of their bodies onto the paper. Using magazine pictures, online photos, words, and/or drawings students will find things that represent their character. They will fill the poster with all of the pictures they find until they feel others would be able to know exactly which character it is they are describing. On a seperate sheet of paper, students will explain why it is they chose the things they did for that character.
4. Catch Phrase
Students are put into groups and handed cards with certain characters, places, events, and themes on it. They are then required to use describing words that hint to what is on the card to their teammates. Teammates must use the information they are being given and come up with what it is that is on the card. Teams will be allowed a one minute time limit to successfully accumulate as many correct responses as possible and will be given one point for each correct answer. The team with the most points at the end of the specified amount of rounds will win the game.
5. Name that Tune
When teaching students about the era in which the novel is set, they could use music to show the difference in time periods. Most students now a days are familiar with what is "cool" and what is not. The website listed above about The French Revolution provides links in order to listen to the music. It also provides the lyrics to the songs and translations into the English language. Teachers could provide students with the original song and the translations and let them hear the songs a few times over. With only the English translation of the the song out in front of them, teachers could play the songs for the students and have them write down what it is they think that specific song is.
Wiki by Valerie Habinak
It was the best of times, it was the worse of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...
Help from Websites
1. Teaching With Movies
This website is about creating lesson plans based on films and movies. The website does cost a small fee in order to actually use the website but I think it would be something interesting to reference when teaching this book. Showing the movie may help students to better understand the book. With this website teachers may be able to better relate it to the lesson.
2.A Tale of Two Cities - Movie
YouTube provides the movie, A Tale of Two Cities, for anyone to access. In order to save money I think this website would come in handy when actually teaching the book. The movie is set up in different parts so it may make teaching easier when it comes to doing different chapters of the book.
3. A Tale of Two Cities Outline
At this website, A Tale of Two Cities is broken down into different parts making it easier for teachers to know what is important and what may not be so important.
4. Project Ideas
This website provides different project ideas from numerous teachers. On this specific page, this first year teacher provides students with different options of projects to do. I thought this website would be useful for teachers to reference when trying to come up with interesting project ideas for their own classrooms.
5. The French Revolution
Seeing as A Tale of Two Cities is set during the French Revolution, I think it would be important for teachers to provide a little insight to their students about that era. This website includes timelines, maps, images, texts, and even songs from this period. It would be beneficial to the students if they knew a little bit about the period and how it is different from our era today.
6. E-Notes
This website provides an abundant amount of information relevant for teaching A Tale of Two Cities. There is a navigational bar set at the side of the website which lays out different topics crucial to the novel. All teachers have to do is join and they gain access to numerous sources of information on any novel. Some of the links below will navigate you to parts of the website that discuss those specific points of the novel. Teachers may be able to get a better undertstanding themselves of the novel and even some possible ideas for discussion.
- Characters
- Themes
- Historical Context
7. Guide to Reading
I think it is important for students to know what exactly they are getting into before starting any novel. A Tale of Two Cities may not be the easiest text for students to read. Therefore, I feel it is important to possibly provide students with guides to reading. This website includes a full layout of the chapters, characters, themes, and time period. It also includes a guide for students to follow as they read the novel. In this guide, important parts are pointed out and brought to closer attention. I think it would be beneficial for students to have such a guide if reading on their own time and not in class.
8. Charles Dickens
This website provides information on the life of Charles Dickens. I thought this would be beneficial to educators because when teaching an author's novel, it is important to give some insight on the author himself. This website gives readers a little more insight to the life and works of Charles Dickens. At the end of the page, there are more links to click on that provide more information about Dickens and his many novels.
9. More into Dickens
Going deeper into what Dickens was all about, this website provides more topics for discussion on who exactly he was. I liked how the website is setup because it allows you to navigate to pages of specific interest. I think this website would be helpful to teachers and even students
10. Spark Notes
Though many teachers may find Spark Notes an unworthy companion for teaching, some of the ideas are actually worth noting. They have some pretty decent quiz ideas and descriptions of certain topics throughout the novel. Though we may like to think that our students are reading, many rely on Spark Notes to get the quick version of what is going on. We should encourage them to read and then to possibly turn to websites like Spark Notes for a better understanding.
11. Cliff Notes
Cliff Notes an excellent source for going further into the text. At this website, you can look up the different themes, characters, study guides, and homework. This could be beneficial to both teachers and students. It provides numerous websites that include study help for understanding the text.
12. Topic Tracking
This website has an amazing list of topics that can be found in A Tale of Two Cities. It outlines every chapter and points out the certain times when that topic is relevant. I thought this would be helpful for teachers as they go along with their lessons. This website may point out some things even the best educators didn't catch on to.
13. Review
This website allows readers to comment on what they thought of the book. I realize not all students have access to students, but many schools do have computer labs for classes to use. I thought this may be beneficial for students because they are able to see what others thought of the book. You do have to create a login ID and password in order to see what others say, but it could be very rewarding in the end.
14. Top Quotes
This website groups the quotes based on the different themes of the book. I thought this would be helpful for teachers if they wanted to create different quizzes or activities using some important quotes.
15. Class Activities
This website provides numerous ideas for different activities in the classroom. Teachers would be able to review what others have done and somehow make them their own. Their are countless links to other websites that have more ideas about teaching A Tale of Two Cities.
In Class Activities
1. Beach Ball Activity
On a large beach ball, write down certain questions or comments about the novel. Things such about characters, plot, themes, symbols, etc. On each individual part of the beach ball write the question or comment. Have the students throw the beach ball from person to person and whatever part of the beach ball their right hand lands on, they must comment or answer that question.
2. Basketball
Teachers or even students come up with questions based on the book and rank them by difficulty. Split the class into different teams and set up a sort of basketball hoop in the center of the classroom. A wastebasket would work really well. Buy or make some sort of ball students could shoot like a basketball into the "hoop." Have one student from team come up at a time and choose a question based on the difficulty. A question worth one point would be considerably easier than a question worth 3 points. On the carpet, tape markings should be placed with even distances apart from one another, increasing in distance in coordination with the difficulty of the questions. After correctly answering a question, the student goes to the appropriate line to shoot for a chance to obtain additional points for their team. The team with the most points accumulated at the end of the game wins the game.
3. Building Character
Students are to pair up and choose one character from the book they feel they can best describe. After providing them with long sheets of paper, students will trace one of their bodies onto the paper. Using magazine pictures, online photos, words, and/or drawings students will find things that represent their character. They will fill the poster with all of the pictures they find until they feel others would be able to know exactly which character it is they are describing. On a seperate sheet of paper, students will explain why it is they chose the things they did for that character.
4. Catch Phrase
Students are put into groups and handed cards with certain characters, places, events, and themes on it. They are then required to use describing words that hint to what is on the card to their teammates. Teammates must use the information they are being given and come up with what it is that is on the card. Teams will be allowed a one minute time limit to successfully accumulate as many correct responses as possible and will be given one point for each correct answer. The team with the most points at the end of the specified amount of rounds will win the game.
5. Name that Tune
When teaching students about the era in which the novel is set, they could use music to show the difference in time periods. Most students now a days are familiar with what is "cool" and what is not. The website listed above about The French Revolution provides links in order to listen to the music. It also provides the lyrics to the songs and translations into the English language. Teachers could provide students with the original song and the translations and let them hear the songs a few times over. With only the English translation of the the song out in front of them, teachers could play the songs for the students and have them write down what it is they think that specific song is.